Footprint Magazine
Conservation & Wildlife
Columbia teacher will kayak the Missouri River. The whole river. By herself.
One of the first things Janet Moreland did when she moved back to Missouri almost twenty years ago was buy a canoe. A native to California, Moreland had enjoyed playing in water bodies since her childhood in Sacramento. “The American River was my playground,” says Moreland. From floating the American River to windsurfing in the … Continue reading
Mizzou student’s $27,000 green roof plan gets funded
Ben Kreitner has a vision: 2,520 square feet of green roof space over Rollins commons. Intended for public tours, future research, and stormwater management, the green roof would make visible Mizzou’s transition to green technology on campus. And earlier this month, the project got funded to the tune of $27,000. [download Ben’s Green Roof Proposal … Continue reading
Drones set sights on J-School
Environmental reporting might get a boost from drone technology, and the University of Missouri School of Journalism is at the forefront of their deployment. One of the drone class’s first forays tried capturing snow geese on film at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area. With this challenge comes many questions. Do drones stress the geese? What if … Continue reading
My Friend, Socrates the Squirrel
When I moved into my third floor apartment downtown, I didn’t expect to see much wildlife. But my desk window faces a big tree, and I’ve been getting more little visitors than I’d expected! Pigeons sleep on the tree at night, and sometimes on my windowsill, all fluffed up to keep warm. Other birds occasionally … Continue reading
Winter Blahs? Let's Feed the Birds!
Reblogged from Show Me Oz: By Daniel Novak Feeding and watching birds in the summer, spring and fall can be an enjoyable family pursuit and winter should be no different. While many of the birds we often see at other times of year travel to warmer climates for the winter a few hardy souls remain. … Continue reading
Fall Break Biking
This might be the perfect time to go biking. Cool air, open spaces and no impending homework. Visit the City of Columbia web site for a full directory of trails as well as a map of all the city parks. One of the coolest, little-talked-about places along the MKT is the Urban Ecological Restoration Project, … Continue reading
Spiders at Capen Park
Spiders occupy diverse niches even within the same ecosystem. Web placement, angle, size and hunting strategies can vary even among spiders of the same designation such as orb weavers. During the evolution of species, it must have been advantageous to have multiple similar species exploit the same environment in different ways. In early October 2012, … Continue reading
Columbia’s very accomplished arborist
A lot goes into keeping our city lush. Check out this sweet profile from former Footprint contributing writer, Cade Cleavlin: Chad Herwald takes care of Columbia’s public trees. Herwald is in the process of compiling a list of trees that do well in Columbia’s urban environment, which would serve as a a landscaping resource on … Continue reading
Oh, Deer: we have a problem.
When a deer contracts chronic wasting disease, its brain degenerates. Missouri has seen several cases of it in the past year. First in captive deer, and now wild ones. The Columbia Missourian is doing a fabulous job of covering the issue. Get informed.
